A tiny insect could be an effective and environment-friendly weapon against a damaging and costly invasive non-native plant - Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica), scientists have said. Japanese knotweed can grow more than a metre a month and is famed for pushing through tarmac, concrete and drains. Its effect on native species is often devastating as it out-competes indigenous species covering large tracts of land to the exclusion of the native flora and associated fauna.
The government is considering an application for a licence to release the psyllid to attack the plant to reduce its vigour, thus reducing the use of chemicals and the costs of control including weedkillers and physical removal.
